Automatic roll-film camera



Aug. 2,1921. 1,637,414

F. H. HADFIELD AUTOMATIC HOLL FILM CAMERA Filed Jan. 19. 192e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 2, 1927.

' suggested previously to employ a springy actuated member `such member ybemg ,operar-y pass through any one of aser-ies ofsuitably' disposed holes or notches'y inthe iilm, so as' l "start "the yspring drum mechanism. .All-

UNITE ST-.ATES

PATENT OFFICE- .y A' FREDERICK Hovva' HADFIELD, oF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.

j AnToMAKTIc noLLLM CAMERA.

Application inea January y'19, 1926,' serial No. 82,350,3nd in Newr zeiuamiv July 24,1925.

This invention relates to roll film cameras of the ytype wherein the film is automatifk cally .Woundup by spring driven mechanism which is released by the shutter operating upon lthe return movement thereof.

In apparatus of this character, it has been tively connectedto a stoptnormally contacting with the fly ofthe clockework andfbeing provided'vvith a roller which is adapted to to benormally` in engagement therethrough,

While a variety of meanshave been suggesti.

edto yreleasethe film and simultaneously ythese ydevices have the object-ionthat special films mustrbe manufactured for theuse of such cameras.y i g The 'chief ob]ect of the present` invention is to provide the automatic camera in which Sfr theusualv films may be employed and which will automatically Vrwind the required amount Vfoi-[each exposure.` f y y. o

In all. such cameras, the rejelativediam-y eters ol the top and bottom spools change asthe film is unrolled, the top spool diam" yfspindlefl( (see also Figure13) and rdrives f' the clutch wheel 18 by a 'springoperated eters i becoming less yandthe lower -f spool diameter greater. 'Hence methods mustr be adopted to "equalize thisr movement so that the' exact distance required for an exposure is automatically unrolledat each advance.

y"exact distance or lengthoffiilm to be un-y f roll'el,`"`determined. sFourth, the movement stopped," definitely and Without yunduev shock Thus, first :the movement must be start-y ed." Second, thes'peed governed.y Third,'the I n between thelplate9 and the end 24 of the spindle.` The spindle may thus be drawn to the mechanism.' Fifth', the' Wheelwork arranged so that 'after the fullnumber lof ex#y posures are made, t'hepositio'n will be such'v that a nevv filmvcan4 be correctly inserted toy start aga-in.

i f Figure 1, is a side elevation of ythe mech- Q anism.

`mechanism, ythe vievv7 beingobverse tor that of FigurerQ. n f

Figure 4, is a side kelevation thereof,

y `Figure 5, isa side view' ofthe indicator f Wheel f The drawings' illustrate an improved form` [of the invention applicable to a camera using k a film ofsix exposures, and on the drawings elevationy thereof,r

'tion to the number of revolutions of lly spaced holes 30 in its outer face (see gagement mechanism viewed `from ythe same f direction rasy Figure 3. i

Figure 7, 'is an inverted ,plan thereof.'- ,Figure y8, isa view of the disengagement Figure 10, is a msm.` f f Figure 11, is an inverted plan ofa Slider used With' the release mechanism.

'Figure 12,v is an end View thereof. Figure 13, is a section of the clutch mechanism. f f

yFigure k14, is an end View thereof; Reierring chiefly to Figures 1 and 2, a` main'spring is contained in a barrel 2 and ydrives bymeans of spur gears 3, 4, 5,y 6, and

7,1a Worm spindle 8 which carries a revolvingstop detent-10.' The barrel 2v and gears kFigure 6, is an end elevation of disen-f are mounted in suitable supports fixed to abase plate 9 which is secured to or may forma part of the camera casing. The barrel yalso drives by means of a bevel Wheel 11 andpinion 12 a longitudinal shaft 14.

'lhis shaft 14 carries at its lower end a bevel vvheel 15 gearing `with another bevel Wheel 16y loosely mounted on the spool clutch ratchet pawl 19 which operates theklower boss of the Wheel18,and`normally retained in 'engagement by a spring 23 in compression yout ot' engagement' with the `ratchet Wheel 18When inserting or removing a spool.

Thelongitudinal shaft 14 carries a Worm 25/ gearing into a crown wheel 26 on a spindle 27 pivoted in the plate 9 and in a;r "plate 28.

the'nuinlxar ofteeth on the crown Wheel 26 is such that the required revolutions of the The relation of this Worm and shaft 14 to Wind the exposed film and the necessary space between each exposed portiony upon the spool 20 will revolve the Wheel ythrough ay complete revolution. In 'other Words, thecrown Wheelmakes one revoluspool to Wind the film thereon;

the y Lno loo i The crown wheel 26 contains six une uali0- ures '1 and 4)'While in front of the crovsn vvheel is a swinginglever 31 mountpd on a into one ofthe holes 36in the crownowheel 26 and beiietained "therein by'" means 'of 'a `spiral spring on thespivndle 32.V jiyhenl the tail piece 34 falls into a hole in the crownwheel"theother Vend 36 of the swing-1 inglever rises and apin 37 projecting laterally therefromflenglages thedetentzlOf and i' instantly stops the action of the'train .of

wheels 3 to 7 and shaft 14. This'stop mechanismvcomesinto action each time` the tail piece 34 falls intoahole 3() in the crown wheel 26. The holes are spaced apartso,

f thatthecrown wheel `will rotate a less dis` tance between eachgstopand theshat 14 will thus not wind the spool so muchlthere-k byfcompensatingfor the increasing diameter Y of the spool as 'the film windsv thereon. l

" bears-ron the wheel 38 and is carried-on an` .arm 41 from a boss 42 pivotedona pin 43Y To relieve 'the ysudden injurious shock to :the mechanismY by such stoppage a'V brake wheel 38 is 'arranged on the spindle8, while a brake of felt 4() (see Figures 3 and 4) l projectingfrom a plate 44 fixed to the bearing 33. vAn armr45 having a camfshaped y 4 end 46 projects from the boss42 and engages a pin 47 projecting from the lever 317 and "as the tail piece 34 falls into a hole 30 the pin-47 permitsitheiend 46 of theA arm 45 tomove upward Vand the brake to contact i with the Wheel as.

A pushV pinA 50 is attached to a slider 51 v(see Figure-s1() /to 12) guided ,on rods V52 vin posts 53, such slider being retained out Wards by a spirali'spring 54 on a rod 55 and in compressioiragainst lips 56 on the slider 51. rThe sliderv 51 operates the usualdform of ant-inous,release7 by striking a striker 57 whichoperates the shutterk (not shown).

@The slider carries a spring controlledV cam ,584having'a pinr59 projecting through a slot ,62 and operatedv bythe spring 60 on the other. side of the slider. This cam upon its forward movement remains inoperative yand assesoverthe end A61 of the swinging ever. 1 i A disengagement wheel y63 (see Figures 1, 2 and 6) containing a ynumber of teeth 64.v

i is mounted on the spindle l27 While a lever i 65 pivoted onla pin66 is normally held til) l l againstpa pin67 yby a spring 68. Avpin 69 on` thislever lis adapted to be engaged by the teeth 64 of the wheel 63. The end of this lever' has a' pin 70 which is adapted to .engage apinf71ion .a detent 72 (see also Figures 7 and 8) pivotedat 73 and heldby a spring 77 (seeL Figure y7) and by means thereoic pushV back the detent 72 out of en gagement with the end 36 ofy thev lever.

, The `spindle 8 is journalle'd in the posts 74 and a fiat spring 75 Vfixed at one end to the post bears upon the end or" lthe spindle;

Uwhiletheothervend of thespindle is pivoted .hole79 in the cover plate 80. These numi bersinust agree with those shown upon the Aiilnathrougli its sight hole.

The iilm isinserted in the camera inthe i-usual manner and brought down to position ,.liby the, clutch spindleY 17 The -motor must f now stand also at position 1 as shown through the ysight hole. A y

Inv-operation, upon pressing the push-pin 50,the exposure is made and the cam 58 passes over lthemendof thelever and upon the return movement thisY cam passes upon the end y(61 of the swinging lever raising it andthereby causing the tail piece 34 to come outor" engagement with the hole 30 indicated 5 by number 1g of the number rwheel and causingth'e pin 37 of thiswlever to release thedetent 10 and the pin'. 47 to move back Vthe lever V45 and release thebralre 40 from the, brake wheel5 thereby permitting the wheel work to revolve and thereby to rotate the shaft 14 andJ revolve thebottom film roller to'wind the lm thereon; A

Immediately the end l'of the swin 'ng leverrh'as been raised the detent 72 will 2qlilnck ,the end oftheswingingeleveras shown in Figure 9 in order togive time for the gears to get well underway. yNhenthe movement y of the gears is Well lunderway the detent 72 vwillbe moved outof engagement with the end 3,6y of the lever by the pin 70 on the end 'p of thevlever 65 engaging the pin 71'on the detent, such lever beingV moved forwards by `Va tooth 64 ofthe Vdisengagement wheel 63 'engaging the kpin 69. The teeth 64 are spacedapart to correspond with the distance between the yholes 30 on Vthe crown wheel. l Theswinging leverA 31 being" released the coil spring 35, will pushvthe other end of the lever downwards and the tail piece34 will rest upon the ,exterior face `of the crown wheel Vand immediately the next hole num- Y ber 2 on the number wheel is opposite the tail piece such tail piece will Adrop therein and the pin 37 on the other end thereof will be 'raiseds'o that the detent 10 will strike such pin and stop the rotation ofthe gears, As the tail piece drops into the hole in the crown wheel the pin 47 on the vlever will move over the end 46 ofthe arm 45 and ermit the brake 40-to contact with the periphery of the wheel 38. e l

ThisV operation is repeated until the whole of theV six exposures are made, and when the last is made the film' is rolled down by the spindle 17 to its end as usual and the motor said shaft, a wheel having its axis atfright angles to'said shaft and driven by said loii gitudinal shaft, holes in the face of said wheel corresponding in ynumber to the exposures to be made on the film and spaced so that the rotation ol said shaft will at each exposurebe sufficient to wind the film krthe correct amount for the next exposure, a 'lever pivoted across the face ot' said wheel, a portion of said lever adaptedfto fall into saidy holes. means whereby when said lever falls 1 into one of said holes thespring operated means will be stopped, and means for releasling said lever immediately the exposure is made, substantially as described. y

2. In a lilin camera having spring operated means to wind the film on aspool, a longitudinal shaft driven by a gear wheel :from said spring means, a winding spool spindle driven by the other end of said shaft.` a ratchet whereby said spindle may be driven in one direction by said longitudinal shaft, a worm on said shaft, a crown wheel driven by said worm, holes'in the face ot' however, being said crown wheel,'a Spring operated swinging lever, a tail piece on said lever adapted to engageV said holes under pressure of the spring, a pin projecting laterally from the other endrof said swinging lever, a revolving detent'driven by clockwork gearing froml thedriving means adapted to strike said pin when the tail `piece falls into one of said holes and stop therotation of said shaft, and

means for operating said swinging lever immediately the exposure is made, substantially as described.

3. In the apparatus as claimed in e'laimQ,

a springcontrolled detent adapted to engage tlie end of said swinging lever, a

l toothed disengagement wheel adapted to rotate with said crown wheel, a lever ada ted kto be operated by said disengagement w eel,

apin on said "lever adapted to release said detent from the end of said swinging lever,

ysubstantially as described.

4. In the apparatus as claimed in claim 2, a slider, ya'spring normally to retain said sliderr outwards'.r a spring voperated cam adapted on the inward movement 'of said slider. to ride over the end ot said lever, but

on its returny movement to raise said lever out of engagement with a hole in the crowny wheel, said slider adapted on `its inward ymovement to operate meansto operate the lshutter ofthe camera, substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. f

FREDERICK HOVVE HADFIELD. 

